Giant Haystacks

The first win came at Leopardstown on 28 December 2024, which is never a bad place to open your account — it is one of Ireland's most prestigious tracks and a Boxing Day fixture there carries real significance. Then came a long wait before Giant Haystacks won again at Wexford just this week, on 3 July 2026. That gap between victories can test the yard' patience, but the recent form suggests the horse has rediscovered something. Looking at the last six races in reverse order — a 12th, a 7th, a 5th, a 4th, a 3rd, and now a win — that is a horse clearly moving in the right direction, improving with almost every outing.

One relationship that raises an eyebrow is the one with regular jockey Danny Gilligan. Together they have ridden seven races and not yet won one — 0 from 7. That is a curious record given how recently Giant Haystacks has found form, and it suggests the winning ride this week may well have come with someone else in the saddle. Whether that partnership clicks eventually remains to be seen, but seven races without a win together is a run worth noticing.

The whole operation sits with trainer Ross O'Sullivan, whose yard in Kilcullen, Co Kildare has been in serious form this season — 40 winners sent out already, which points to a team that knows what it is doing. For a horse like Giant Haystacks, having that kind of support behind it matters. With a win landed just days ago and a clear upward curve in recent performances, the seven-year-old arrives at whatever comes next in the best shape it has been in for some time.